Newtown massacre shows need for school security

Wednesday

Dec 19, 2012 at 12:01 AM

Earlier in the month, incoming Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre floated the idea of nixing Tasers from school resource officers' arsenal.

OUR VIEW

Earlier in the month, incoming Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre floated the idea of nixing Tasers from school resource officers' arsenal. That was before 20 schoolchildren and six school employees were killed by a gunman in Newtown, Conn. One can think of no event to better guide the incoming Flagler sheriff on his decisions related to school security. The fact is, our schoolchildren need protection, and the officers protecting them need a wide variety of tools at their disposal to do so. One such tool is the Taser, an electric stun gun that disables an assailant or suspect without fatally or seriously injuring him. Tasers are an important tool in the continuum of force that police officers exercise. They are a nonlethal way to defuse an assault or other physical confrontations, and they tend to work much better than pepper spray. But arming school resource officers with Taser stun guns makes some people uncomfortable. School resource officers need a softer approach, they say, even though resource officers in Flagler County carry handguns and pepper spray. Earlier this month, Manfre explained his thinking on Tasers. "My vision of the school resource officer is of a mentor, not just as a law enforcement officer,"said Manfre. "I just need to make sure the Taser is not affecting the ability of the school resource deputy to have that role with the students." Manfre, who has made no decision yet, made the remarks before the tragic events in Newtown. A Taser almost certainly wouldn't have stopped the Connecticut gunman, but those devices do provide more security in a school setting — and security now is a higher priority for all schools. The terrible fact is, school shootings happen, and often the shooter targets the most vulnerable students. In such cases, students would be better served by a police officer, not a mentor. Schools over the years have implemented a variety of security measures to protect students. They have installed automatic locks. Many have installed metal detectors. Many school systems also hire security consultants who do a report telling them what they want to hear — that is, no armed guards and no metal detectors. Security, some believe, should be like that of Walt Disney World — effective but not seen. Our children are our most valuable asset, more valuable than the gold at Fort Knox. The gold there has armed guards — but not every school does. Many schools don't have enough security, seen or unseen. Laudably, Volusia and Flagler schools have armed resource officers. But often, those officers face another kind of problem — how to short-circuit an assault without using a handgun. Pepper spray could work, although it doesn't always work. Batons can be a painful and bone-breaking option. Tasers, on the other hand, disable with minimal risk to the suspect. Tasers have been known to take down the largest and most aggressive assailants, giving the officer time to handcuff and arrest the attacker. Tasers are, thus, one tool to help prevent assaults at schools. It is a bitter truth that schools see trouble from time to time, and they need the presence of well-armed resource officers. We will no doubt hear more on this topic on a national level in 2013. And we should embrace the debate over school security. Manfre should realize that the job description of resource officers is something altogether different from that of mentor. And those officers need an array of force options.